The First Time

In this special episode, Kate and Katherine seek out advice from the best as they both prepare to launch brand new books for kids. They are delighted to be chatting with author, illustrator and current Australian Children's Laureate, Sally Rippin. How to launch a MG book and why it's different from launching an adult book, the art of illustration, taking the business side of author life seriously, the problem with the word 'lucky', how to be a good industry citizen, the difference between 'learning to read' and 'reading to learn' and Sally's advice on writing a cracking kids book.  Kate & Katherine also chat a little about their new books and upcoming events: Find out about Katherine Collette's middle grade novel The Too Tall Tales of Alma T. Best: Out of Bounds and check out her events on instagram and coaching info. Check out Kate Mildenhall's debut picture book To Stir With Love, illustrated by Jess Racklyeft out on Oct 3. Kate will be touring the book over October and November - find events via this tour page or on her instagram. Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com

This special live recording of The First Time Podcast took place on May 23, 2024 at Carriageworks on Gadigal Land for the Sydney Writers Festival. Podcast co-host, Kate Mildenhall spoke to guests Melanie Saward, James Colley and Charlotte Wood about their books, their paths to publication and the writing life. Melanie Saward is a proud Bigambul and Wakka Wakka woman. She is a writer, editor and university lecturer based in Tulmur (Ipswich), Queensland. Her debut novel Burn was published by Affirm Press in September 2023. She's widely published in literary journals and anthologies and is currently awaiting sign off on her PhD. In July, her first romantic comedy novel, Love Unleashed, will be published by Penguin Random House. James Colley is the author of the debut romantic comedy novel The Next Big Thing from Pantera Press. He's the head writer of ABC TV's Gruen and Question Everything. Charlotte Wood is the author of seven novels and three books of non-fiction. Her books have won or been shortlisted for various prizes including the Stella Prize and the Prime Minister's Award for Fiction. Her latest novel is Stone Yard Devotional which has been shortlisted for Age Book of the Year, ABIA Literary fiction of the year, the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction and longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award. Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com

This episode of The Next Step is with Nat Kringoudis. It's the episode where Katherine FINALLY gets to talk about both ice baths and fasting. Fasting can be problematic for some people so if you feel like food restriction discussions are triggering, maybe sit this one out.   Nat Kringoudis is a health care practitioner, she's also a two times best selling author, Speaker and all-round natural fertility expert.  She's the founder of Melbourne women's health clinic, The Pagoda Tree and host of The Wellness Collective podcast. Nat is one of those people that's consistently ahead of the curve. She does a lot of self-experimentation when it comes to health (as discussed in this episode) and has a huge following on social media – if you're an Instagram person definitely follow her. In addition to health stuff, Nat also talks about how she's built an audience and  businesses around that audience.   Check out show notes for this episode at katherinecollette.com, subscribe via your podcast app or get in touch via Instagram @katherinecollettewriter.

Laurie Kilmartin is a stand-up comedian and an Emmy-nominated and award-winning comedy writer. She was a staff writer for all 11 years of CONAN and has performed standup on CONAN, Late Late Show w/James Corden, and Comedy Central.  Laurie Kilmartin is also on Twitter. A lot of people are on Twitter or have been on Twitter, but she's the kind of tweeter that makes you wish Twitter was still a thing . For example, she life tweeted her dad's death in a way that was both heart wrenching and hilarious.  In addition to being very, very funny, Laurie is super candid in this episode about the reality of making a living as a comedian. Her newest special, “Cis Woke Grief Slut,” is currently available in Australia via Tubi.  Check out show notes for this episode at katherinecollette.com, subscribe via your podcast app or get in touch via Instagram @katherinecollettewriter.

Sarah Pound is the creator of @wholesomebysarah. You've probably heard of her before, you may also have cooked her food. Sarah shares easy weeknight recipes on Insta where she a cult following of more than 700,000 people. You can also get Sarah's meal kids in Woolworths around the country.  Sarah recently released her first cookbook also called ‘Wholesome by Sarah'. When pre-orders of her cookbook were announced to her within hours it was the #1 bestselling on Amazon Australia. It stayed in the #1 spot for more than a week. It went through multiple re-prints before it was even released, a pretty incredible achievement!  Sarah and Katherine talk about bouncing back from failure, growing her following on social media and how sometimes she wishes her passion (i.e. cooking) didn't correlate so much with traditional gender roles.   Check out show notes for this episode at katherinecollette.com, subscribe via your podcast app or get in touch via Instagram @katherinecollettewriter. This episode of The Next Step is sponsored by Fremantle Press and How to Avoid a Happy Life by Julia Lawrinson.   

Have you ever wanted to own your own business but not known where to begin? Like, literally all you know is that you WANT a business and nothing else? This interview with coach and entrepreneur Luisa Zhou is for you. Luisa Zhou is the founder of LuisaZhou.com, which teaches people how to go from employee to entrepreneur, and scale their businesses to 6- and 7-figures. She's helped thousands of people make their first $10K to $100K in less than a year. Luisa has appeared in numerous online and print publications including Forbes, Business Insider, Money, Inc, Entrepreneur, Success magazine, and more. In this interview, Katherine mentions the content Luisa puts out for free via her YouTube channel – if you're keen to explore that, here are some places to start:  Starting your coaching business in less than 24 hours (YouTube) How to put together your first coaching package (YouTube) All you need is this one sentence marketing plan (YouTube) Books mentioned: Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz Think and Grow Rich (mentioned in the context of auto-suggestion) by Napoleon Hill Show notes for this episode are available at katherinecollette.com. You can subscribe to The Next Step / The First Time via your podcast app and if you like what you hear, please leave a review! If you don't like what you hear, recommend us to someone you hate.  Get  in touch via Instagram @katherinecollettewriter. This episode is sponsored by Fremantle Press and the book People Want to Shoot Me by Wayne Bergmann and Madelaine Dickie. 

Brigid Delaney is currently a political speechwriter. She was a journalist for The Guardian, and wrote popular weekly column, 'Brigid Delaney's Diary',' which we little a little about in this interview. She wrote that column for eight years. It is so good. Like unbelievably and consistently funny, it's stood the test of time. Read the cheese story and the mansion story mentioned in the episode—they're incredible!   Brigid also wrote Wellmania, the book that the Netflix series is based. But the main thing that Katherine and Brigid talk a lot in this interview about is stoicism, which is the focus of her most recent book, Reasons Not to Worry.  Katherine has wanted to speak to Brigid about stoicism for a long time. Brigid wrote an article about stoicism when COVID first started, and it felt like it offered a sort of solace that wasn't anywhere else. The concepts are so useful, particularly for creatives and people putting art/writing into the world.  Check out show notes for this episode at katherinecollette.com, subscribe via your podcast app or get in touch via Instagram @katherinecollettewriter. This episode is sponsored by Fremantle Press and Marie O'Rourke's book 'Kintsugi'. 

It's surprising how much the discussion about thoughts and thinking in basketball can apply to creativity. This episode is with BriAnna Garza, a professional basketball shooting coach. She currently coaches players in the (American) NBA, WNBA (as well as the NCAA and youth players) on both shot development and thought development.  BriAnna is also the founder/owner of Shooters Shoot— a mentorship program that focuses on the same two things. The training model was inspired by BriAnna's passion for coaching both the science and the mindset of shooting. Katherine first learned of BriAnna via Instagram. You MUST follow her! True to her philosophy, her Insta is half basketball and half thought development. It's super interesting and a lot of what she talks about can be adapted to the creative realm.  Katherine and BriAnna discuss A LOT including:  - neutral thinking  - the role of emotion   - visualisation - how to to do it and how to get the most out of it  - the importance of a 'culture of error'  - the Pygmalion Effect and more...  Many listeners to the show would have heard Katherine talk about Ben Crowe, BriAnna reminds her of Ben Crowe, except she's young – not that he's old -- and a woman. But she has a similar way of thinking that's about inspiring people to do and be their best and live with purpose.  KC is such a big fan of BriAnna and thinks you will be too, after hearing her speak. Check out show notes for this episode at katherinecollette.com, subscribe via your podcast app or get in touch via Instagram @katherinecollettewriter. This episode is sponsored by New South and Anna Jacobson's book 'How to Knit a Human'.  

Jack Druce is a comedian. Katherine thinks he's the best comedian in Australia (he's also the most humble). If you have the chance to see his stand up, GO. He's not at the Melbourne Comedy Festival this year unfortunately, but you can see his stand up special Rat Paradise on YouTube. It featured in New York Magazine.  Katherine gets excited telling people about Jack Druce because he's genuinely hilarious and she knows they're going to like him if they go see him, and somehow she thinks this reflects well on her. As if people will go to one of his shows and enjoy his comedy but mostly what they'll take away from the experience is the thought ‘Wow Katherine has great taste'...  Jack has headlined shows nationwide, including Splendour in the Grass.  He's written for Channel 10's The Project and appeared at comedy festivals all over Australia. Since 2022, Jack's been building a following making high quality sketch comedy on Youtube. Check out show notes for this episode at katherinecollette.com, subscribe via your podcast app or get in touch via Instagram @katherinecollettewriter. 

This interview is with Jessica Weisberg. Jessica Weisberg is an award-winning writer and producer. Her writing has appeared in the New Yorker, New York Times, Harper's, and Atavist, among other publications, and been nominated for a National Magazine Award. She ran the features unit at Vice News Tonight on HBO, for which she was nominated for an Emmy, and is a senior producer at Serial Podcast.  Her first book, Asking for a Friend, came out in 2018. Katherine read it last year and LOVED it. The book is about advice givers – people who have offered up advice to others throughout time. Some examples of prominent advice givers featured are:  Dale Carnegie who wrote, How to Win Friends and Influence People  Cheryl Strayed, author of Dear Sugar Dear Abby, a popular newspaper column in 1950's Life coach Martha Back  The books is super interesting, as is Jessica. We talk about a bunch of stuff including the fact that her intention for the book was to take advice givers seriously. Check out show notes for this episode, subscribe for regular updates or get in touch via katherinecollette.com or Instagram @katherinecollettewriter. 

This interview is with Mia Freedman. Mia Freedman needs no introduction! But we'll introduce her anyway. Mia Freedman is the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of the Mamamia Women's Media Company in Australia.She very famously started Mamamia sitting at her kitchen table in the the aftermath of walking away from a big job in TV that was a TOTAL disaster. Mamamia now has an audience of more than six and a half million women every month and is also the largest women's podcast network in the world, with over 173 million listens and 52 different shows. Mia has written multiple books, include Strife, which was the inspiration for the recently released TV series of the same name on Binge. She also founded Lady Start up, is a business activation course for women. She's great on Instagram and she got a newsletter called Babble that might even be home to her best work. Mia Freedman is someone who's consistently ahead of the curve, she takes very interesting next steps. And she's a big of supporter of women – that's a thing that comes across in this interview.

Welcome to the very first episode of The First Time podcast's spin off series, The Next Step. The Next Step is all about figuring out what to do next in life. This episode is on manifestation. It's a bit woo woo but probably it's less woo woo that you might expect. Longer time listeners of The First Time podcast might remember Katherine mentioning To Be Magnetic last season. To Be Magnetic ('TBM') describes itself as a modern guide to manifestation. Jessica Gill is TBM's chief content officer and co-host of the TBM podcast, EXPANDED. Check out show notes for this episode or subscribe for regular updates via katherinecollette.com or get in touch via Instagram @katherinecollettewriter. 

It's finally arrived! Many of you will know that The First Time is taking a break in its current format this year BUT! Katherine is hosting a spin off series called The Next Step.  The Next Step is figuratively (but also literally in this case) what happens after The First Time. It's about figuring out what to do next in life...  It'll still feature interviews with writers but other creatives, comedians and entrepreneurs as well.  This the teaser episode, the first proper episode will drop on Wednesday 13th March, right here!  Show notes for The Next Step will be available via katherinecollette.com or you can get in touch via Instagram - Katherine @katherinecollettewriter, Kate @kmildenhall or The First Time Podcast @thefirsttimepod. 

Welcome to the last episode in Summer Series -- a chance to catch up on some episodes you may have missed out on the first time around. If you listened to the season 6 finale, you'll know that The First Time is taking a break in it's current format in 2024 BUT! Don't delete the feed just yet, Katherine will be back (solo) as of next week with The Next Step. The Next Step is figuratively but also literally in this case, what happens after The First Time. It's about figuring out what to do next in life. The Next Step will will still feature interviews with writers but other creatives, comedians and entrepreneurs as well. First episode will drop on on Wednesday 13th March!  This episode we talk to pop culture, TV writer and Real Housewives guru, Brian Moylan. Brian Moylan is the New York Times best-selling author of The Housewives: The Real Story Behind the Real Housewives and has written about television and pop culture for the New York Times, The Guardian, Vice, NBC News, and a few outlets that are NSFW. Katherine and Brian discuss:  Early writing life, including what to be aware of when writing obituaries  Recapping Real Housewives episodes  What you're critiquing when you're critiquing reality TV  Engaging with criticism of your own work  His book The Housewives: The Real Story Behind the Real Housewives. Challenges writing a book when all your interviewees are told not to talk to you  Whether The Real Housewives is good for women (as suggested by Gloria Steinem) or bad for women (as suggested by Roxanne Gay) 

Welcome to our Summer Series -- a chance to catch up on some episodes you may have missed out on the first time around. If you listened to the season 6 finale, you'll know that The First Time is taking a break in it's current format in 2024 BUT! Don't delete the feed just yet, Katherine will be back (solo) in March with something new. It'll feature interviews with writers but also creatives, comedians and entrepreneurs. Finally, to celebrate six years of the pod and to kick off the coach-sulting (coaching/consulting) work she'll be doing this year (see here), check out Katherine's tips on interviewing and being interviewed (via Instagram). This episode Katherine speaks to author Garry Disher. Garry is the author of more than 50 books across multiple genres including crime thrillers, general/literary novels and fiction for children and teenagers. They discuss how he researches his novels, perseverance, and how you need to write with a blue pen in order for the magic to happen. Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Instagram - Katherine @katherinecollettewriter, Kate @kmildenhall or The First Time Podcast @thefirsttimepod.

Welcome to our Summer Series -- a chance to catch up on some episodes you may have missed out on the first time around. If you listened to the season 6 finale, you'll know that The First Time is taking a break in it's current format in 2024 BUT! Don't delete the feed just yet, Katherine will be back (solo) in March with something new. It'll feature interviews with writers but also creatives, comedians and entrepreneurs. Finally, to celebrate six years of the pod and to kick off the coach-sulting (coaching/consulting) work she'll be doing this year (see here), check out Katherine's tips on interviewing and being interviewed (via Instagram). This is a conversation Kate has been dying to have for awhile now - keen for the lowdown on The Letdown and generally a massive fan of Alison Bell's work. Alison is the co-creator/co-writer/producer/director and star of the award winning ABC and Netflix co-production The Letdown. Together with her co-writer, Sarah Scheller, Alison won the 2016 AACTA Award for Best Television Screenplay.The Letdown also won the AACTA Award for Best Comedy Program for both seasons 1 + 2 (20017 + 2019). Alison's performance was recognised with the AACTA for Best Comedy Performer for her work in the second season of The Letdown, her fourth performance nomination. Other nominations include the 2019 AACTA Award for Best Direction in a Television Comedy or Drama for her TV directorial debut, (The Letdown). In 2021, Alison developed and led the writing team on the critically acclaimed Binge series, LOVE ME.. The show picked up 7 Logie nominations. She wrote and starred in an episode of Summer Love, an ABC anthology series, which aired in August 2022, and in the ABC drama, Significant Others, airing October 2022. She has worked as an assessor for Playwriting Australia, a script consultant on theatre productions and short films and has contributed pieces to Marie Claire and Vogue Australia. She's worked with production companies both here and in the US, including Sharon Horgan's Merman, the FX Network, Kapital Entertainment, EKO, Giant Dwarf, Wooden Horse, Endemol Shine and the ABC. Prior to making The Letdown Alison was best known for her dramatic work on the stage, for which she won multiple Helpmann and Greenroom Awards, as well as her starring role in the AACTA Award winning comedy Laid. She has guest starred in many Australian series and her US credits include the HBO's The Leftovers, No Activity for CBS All Access and the reboot of Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories on AppleTV+. Alison is currently appearing in the MTC production of What If If Only this August and September in a double bill. The conversation covers:  Alison's early love of stories and when she found drama having the mindset for an artistic career - (and a healthy acknowledgement for 'luck') the impact of having kids on an artistic career Alison's interview with Jemma Birrell on the excellent The Secret Life of Writers podcast where she talks about unfinished manuscripts and 'learning by doing' the 'mini bible' used to pitch for screen How and why The Letdown was such a success How Alison and co-writer Sarah Scheller mined their own and their friends' experiences of motherhood for The Letdown Becoming an 'accidental' show runner Writing for screen  Adapting books for screen and the disappointment when you 'miss the moment' On guilt - (as discussed with Ash Devenport in The Design Files) Not pushing yourself until 'you're broken' - 'it's okay to be a little bit rubbish at things' Working with Back to Back theatre Alison's advice: Truth. Truth is the most interesting thing. The human experience in its truest form. Alison's debut recommendation: Room for a Stranger - Melanie Cheng Get in touch via Instagram - Katherine @katherinecollettewriter, Kate @kmildenhall or The First Time Podcast @thefirsttimepod.

Welcome to our Summer Series -- a chance to catch up on some episodes you may have missed out on the first time around. If you listened to the season 6 finale, you'll know that The First Time is taking a break in it's current format in 2024 BUT! Don't delete the feed just yet, Katherine will be back (solo) in March with something new. It'll feature interviews with writers but also creatives, comedians and entrepreneurs. Finally, to celebrate six years of the pod and to kick off the coach-sulting (coaching/consulting) work she'll be doing this year (see here), check out Katherine's tips on interviewing and being interviewed (via Instagram). Kate travelled to Castlemaine to record this interview in person with Cate Kennedy in her beautiful home amongst overflowing bookshelves. Kate attempted to edit down this episode, she really did, but Cate Kennedy just shares so much writing wisdom it was hard not to just give you the uncut super long version! Settle in with a cuppa if you can. Cate Kennedy has published several collections of both poetry and fiction. Her story collections Like a House on Fire and Dark Roots are widely studied in Australia and her poetry collections include The Taste of River Water, Signs of Other Fires, Joyflight, and Crucible and Other Poems. She is a two-time winner of The Age Short Story Competition, and a recipient of the 2013 Steele Rudd Award, the 2002 Vincent Bucklet Poetry Prize, and the 2001 Victorian Premier's Literary Award, among others. Her highly acclaimed novel The World Beneath, won the People's Choice Award in the NSW Premier's Literary Awards in 2010 and she is also the author of travel memoir Sing and Don't Cry. Kennedy works as a writing teacher and advisor on the faculty of Pacific University's MFA in Creative Writing Program in Portland, Oregon, and received her PhD in Creative Writing from LaTrobe University in 2021. She lives in Castlemaine, Victoria on Dja Dja Wurrung country. Get in touch via Instagram - Katherine @katherinecollettewriter, Kate @kmildenhall or The First Time Podcast @thefirsttimepod.

Welcome to our Summer Series -- a chance to catch up on some episodes you may have missed out on the first time around. If you listened to the season 6 finale, you'll know that The First Time is taking a break in it's current format in 2024 BUT! Don't delete the feed just yet, Katherine will be back (solo) in March with something new. It'll feature interviews with writers but also creatives, comedians and entrepreneurs. Finally, to celebrate six years of the pod and to kick off the coach-sulting (coaching/consulting) work she'll be doing this year (see here), check out Katherine's tips on interviewing and being interviewed (via Instagram). This episode Kate talk to someone she has wanted to speak with for ages: New York Times and internationally bestselling author Amie Kaufman! Not only has Amie's multi-award winning work been translated into nearly thirty languages, and is in development for film and TV, but she is incredibly experienced in talking and teaching about writing and the strange world of BEING a writer. Raised in Australia and Ireland, Amie has degrees in literature, law, history and conflict resolution, and is currently undertaking a PhD in Creative Writing. Her series include The Illuminae Files, The Aurora Cycle, the Other Side of the Sky duology, The Starbound Trilogy, the Unearthed duology and The Elementals Trilogy. Her work has taken home multiple Aurealis Awards, an ABIA, a Gold Inky, made multiple best-of lists and been shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards. Check out Amie's podcasts Amie Kaufman On Writing and Pub Dates with Kate J. Armstrong and her newsletter Finding North. Get in touch via Instagram - Katherine @katherinecollettewriter, Kate @kmildenhall or The First Time Podcast @thefirsttimepod.

Welcome to our Summer Series -- a chance to catch up on some episodes you may have missed out on the first time around. If you listened to the seas 6 finale, you'll now that The First Time is taking a break in it's current format in 2024 BUT! Don't delete the feed just yet, Katherine will be back flying solo in March with something new. It'll feature interviews with writers but also creatives, comedians and entrepreneurs. Finally, to celebrate six years of the pod and to kick off the coach-sulting (coaching/consulting) work she'll be doing this year (see here), check out Katherine's tips on interviewing and being interviewed (via Instagram). We are thrilled to present this conversation with Australian literary legend - Tim Winton. This is a conversation Kate has been hoping to have since...well, since she was sixteen years old. The interview covers Winton's latest project - the television documentary Ningaloo - along with his writing life and environmental advocacy. Tim Winton has published twenty-nine books for adults and children, and his work has been translated into twenty-eight languages. Since his first novel, An Open Swimmer, won the Australian Vogel Award in 1981, he has won the Miles Franklin Award four times (for Shallows, Cloudstreet, Dirt Music and Breath) and twice been shortlisted for the Booker Prize (for The Riders and Dirt Music). He lives in Western Australia. Winton is the 2023 recipient of the The ABIA Lloyd O'Neil Award - presented for a lifetime of distinguished and outstanding service to publishing and literary culture. Tim's latest project is a three-part documentary series Ningaloo premiering in Australia on Tuesday 16 May at 8:30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview. Get in touch via Instagram - Katherine @katherinecollettewriter, Kate @kmildenhall or The First Time Podcast @thefirsttimepod.

We're kicking off our Summer Series -- a chance to catch up on some episodes you may have missed out on the first time around. If you listened to the seas 6 finale, you'll now that The First Time is taking a break in it's current format in 2024 BUT! Don't delete the feed just yet, Katherine will be back flying solo in March with something new. It'll feature interviews with writers but also creatives, comedians and entrepreneurs. Finally, to celebrate six years of the pod and to kick off the coach-sulting (coaching/consulting) work she'll be doing this year (see here), check out Katherine's tips on interviewing and being interviewed (via Instagram). In this episode, Katherine speaks to Chloe Hooper about writing about difficult things, nuance and approaching non-fiction like it's a thriller.  Chloe Hooper is a novelist and non-fiction writer. Her first novel, A Child's Book of True Crime, became a New York Times Notable Book, and was shortlisted for the Orange Prize. Her non-fiction, including The Tall Man and The Arsonist: A Mind on Fire, have won literary awards and been widely published internationally. Her latest book is Bedtime Stories.  Get in touch via Instagram - Katherine @katherinecollettewriter, Kate @kmildenhall or The First Time Podcast @thefirsttimepod.

We're kicking off our Summer Series -- a chance to catch up on some episodes you may have missed out on the first time around. If you listened to the seas 6 finale, you'll now that The First Time is taking a break in it's current format in 2024 BUT! Don't delete the feed just yet, Katherine will be back flying solo in March with something new. It'll feature interviews with writers but also creatives, comedians and entrepreneurs. Finally, to celebrate six years of the pod and to kick off the coach-sulting (coaching/consulting) work she'll be doing this year (see here), check out Katherine's tips on interviewing and being interviewed (via Instagram). This episode Katherine speakers to Sydney based author and podcaster Jessie Stephens. Jessie Stephens is an Executive Editor at Mamamia, Australia's largest independent women's media company. She co-hosts Mamamia's flagship podcast and winner of Australia's Best Podcast Series, Mamamia Out Loud. Jessie's debut book Heartsick based on three true stories was an international bestseller and her first novel Something Bad Is Going to Happen came out in September this year. Jessie and Katherine discuss: * Jessie's early writing life, including how Mia Freedman discovered her and sister Clare Stephen's work * How Jane Harper helped her get a US agent * Writing about (often bad) romantic relationships in your early twenties * An interview with Jessie on the podcast How to Be Happy hosted by Clare Stephens    * The career/life tension between ambition and content * How she writes down the things she wants to achieve and often they come true * Jealousy - both as she experiences and when she is the subject of other's jealousy Jessie recommends Love and Virtue by Diana Reid and My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com  or get in touch via Instagram @katherinecollettewriter, @kmildenhall or @thefirsttimepod.

We're kicking off our Summer Series -- a chance to catch up on some episodes you may have missed out on the first time around. If you listened to the seas 6 finale, you'll now that The First Time is taking a break in it's current format in 2024 BUT! Don't delete the feed just yet, Katherine will be back flying solo in March with something new. It'll feature interviews with writers but also creatives, comedians and entrepreneurs. Finally, to celebrate six years of the pod and to kick off the coach-sulting (coaching/consulting) work she'll be doing this year (see here), check out Katherine's tips on interviewing and being interviewed (via Instagram). This episode Katherine talks with internationally best selling award winning author Andy Griffiths about writing for children, his long time collaboration with illustrator Terry Denton and what the perfect % of anarchy is within a story. Andy Griffiths is one of Australia's best known children's authors. He and illustrator Terry Denton have collaborated on more than 33 bestselling books since their first title, Just Tricking, was published in 1997. In Australia, Andy and Terry's books have sold over 10 million copies, won 80 children's choice awards and 10 Australian Book Industry Awards—including Book of the Year for The 52-Storey Treehouse in 2015. Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com  or get in touch via Instagram @katherinecollettewriter, @kmildenhall or @thefirsttimepod.

We're kicking off our Summer Series -- a chance to catch up on some episodes you may have missed out on the first time around. If you listened to the seas 6 finale, you'll now that The First Time is taking a break in it's current format in 2024 BUT! Don't delete the feed just yet, Katherine will be back flying solo in March with something new. It'll feature interviews with writers but also creatives, comedians and entrepreneurs. Finally, to celebrate six years of the pod and to kick off the coach-sulting (coaching/consulting) work she'll be doing this year (see here), check out Katherine's tips on interviewing and being interviewed (via Instagram). In this Masters Series interview, Katherine talks to best selling author, television writer and podcast host, RA Spratt. RA Spratt is Katherine's kids' favourite author. They LOVE her books and series: Nanny Piggins, Friday Barnes, Peski Kids and Shockingly Good Stories (in that order). R.A. Spratt has also written for dozens of different television shows.  In recent years she has specialized mainly in children's animation, but she has also had extensive experience writing jokes, sketch comedy and political satire. Her podcast ‘Bedtime Stories with R.A. Spratt' was launched in February 2020 and has a huge following from around the world, with 2 million+ downloads. R.A. Spratt lives in Bowral, Australia with her husband and two daughters. She is currently obsessed with Cross Fit and—according to (her) Instagram—has been the Fittest Childrens Author on Earth two years in a row.   Katherine and RA Spratt discuss:      TV writing (not as much talking to each other as you might think)    Writing comedy and the balance between wacky and the everyday Judgemental narrators  Pragmatic writing advice, including doing market research on what people/kids want to read  The evolution/non-evolution of characters in a series Her approach to writing mysteries - i.e. simplicity on the surface and elaborate-ness underneath Her philosophy of writing reassuring stories with a beginning middle and end for kids Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod).

It's a big ep. We debrief, reflect, recommend and share some rather big news about the pod in 2024. We discuss: Things that have happened in writing and pod life for us since episode one of this season Fishing as a key theme of Katherine's year (and yes, the free fishing rods for Grade 4s is an actual thing) A delightful school visit for Katherine and why she's excited for 2024 and the publication of her first MG novel - Shellsville Kate reflects on a big year and the tour (and wrote about it here for The Bowerbird) Podcast highlight when Karen Comer organised a copy of Susie Anderson's the body country to Darcy Moore from Collingwood FC Kate's excited to share the news she's has her first PICTURE BOOK coming out in 2024! Stay tuned to her socials for details in the new year. Some stats from Season 6 Total episodes: 47 Featured Book: 23 eps Follow a First Timer: 8 eps with Megan Rogers  Masters: 11 eps - Cate Kennedy, Kevin Wilson, Amie Kaufman, RA spratt, Ling Ma, Brian Moylan, Alison Bell, Jessie Stephens, Tim Winton, Lucy Treloar, Richard Flanagan Hummingbird deep dives: 2 Awkward convos: 2 - on money and endorsements - we ran out of steam on these - too many other things to talk about but they are both in the most listened top 10! Festival convos: 2 - Write around the Murray and Willy Lit Fest The Debut Crew 2023 reels on instagram  Since 28th November 2022, there have been 105k listens, an increase of 27% from the preceding twelve months and 322k all time listens And finally - our big news. It's a two parter:  Firstly, we're taking a break from The First Time pod in this format in 2024. We love you and thank you SO MUCH for listening.  But! Don't delete The First Time feed just yet. Stay tuned for our summer series (from January) and Katherine will be kicking off something a little bit different in March 2024.   And that's it from us, for awhile at least!  Thank you so much for your listening, sharing and support over the last six seasons x Continue to keep in touch with Katherine on instagram or via her newsletter and Kate on instagram and her newsletter. Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

We are coming up to the last episode/s of the season and will have news about the podcast for next year very soon but for now, we're re-releasing an episode from earlier in the year with (American writer) Kevin Wilson... Enjoy!  Kevin Wilson has been on Katherine's interview wishlist oh about forever and FINALLY she got to speak to him. The discuss weirdness, including how Kevin writes about it with such tenderness, and talk a lot about art -- it's creation, secrecy vs publicness. Also, how often Kevin writes (answer: not very often). Kevin Wilson is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Now is Not the Time to Panic, Nothing to See Here, which was a Read with Jenna book club selection; The Family Fang, which was adapted into an acclaimed film starring Nicole Kidman and Jason Bateman; and Perfect Little World; as well as the story collections Tunneling to the Center of the Earth, winner of the Shirley Jackson Award; and Baby, You're Gonna Be Mine. His fiction has appeared in Ploughshares, Southern Review, One Story, A Public Space, and Best American Short Stories. He lives in Sewanee, Tennessee, with his wife and two sons. Among other things, Kevin and Katherine discuss this Time Magazine article: I Was Worried My Anxiety Would Prevent Me From Being a Good Father.   Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). Don't forget you can support us and the m

This season we are returning to our first-time roots! We hear all the time from listeners who've gone from thinking about writing a book to starting to write a book to having their own debut author experience. One of the things that these new authors say is that they've gone back and listened to the episodes that cover off the various milestones. So this year we're going back too. We want to capture that first time again ourselves... We're going to being follow a first time author across the year, catching up multiple times along the way. Our very first Follow a First Timer is Megan Rogers, author of The Heart is a Star. In this, the EIGHTH and final episode of the series, we ask Megan questions from listeners, including:  ●      What was the best decision you made when you were trying to get published?●      Did you and do you ever have moments of being stuck in your writing? Creatively stuck and emotionally stuck?  ●      How do you not allow stuck to become overwhelmed and then overwhelmed to become paralysed?  ●      How do you balance challenging a reader with taking care of the reader? ●      In hindsight, which activities do you think had the most impact on the success of the book? Writing articles, visiting bookshops, etc? ●      What was the greatest lessons in craft you've learned through writing your first novel. Has it changed your process for the next one? ●      Do you have any rules you follow as an author out in the world? Like do you always share content online, do you send thank you to anyone, things like that? The 'Follow a First Timer Series' is brought to you by Harper Collins. Check out show notes on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

This is a conversation Kate has been waiting years to have. She spoke to Richard Flanagan at the end of his most recent tour, in person at State Library Victoria. Richard Flanagan's novels have received numerous honours and are published in forty-two countries. He won the Booker Prize for The Narrow Road to the Deep North and the Commonwealth Prize for Gould's Book of Fish. A rapid on the Franklin River is named after him. His latest book is Question 7.  Kate and Richard discuss: wanting to be a writer at four years old and writing stories for his sister getting his debut novel Death of a River Guide written and published  writing a 'memoir' for conman John Friedrich which Flanagan went on to fictionalise in his novel First Person On structure and form: 'A novel without form is like a jellyfish, it lacks spine and movement. A novel should be a Great White Pointer - it has to move and it has to excite and it has to surprise.' Working around writing with a young family Collaboration with his publisher Nikki Christer  The influence of Yolgnu writer Siena Stubbs who introduced Flanagan to the idea of a 'fourth tense' in Yolgnu language Richard's article and speech Does Writing Matter in 2016 Donating prizing money (and the picture with Abbott!) and his father's philosophy on money Richard says there 'needs to be a culture change in this country whereby there is a respect accorded writers' Richard's debut recommendation: The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

Kate and Katherine are hidden away on a writing retreat in the mountains with Sydney writer Anna Downes.  Anna Downes is an actor-turned-writer, born in the UK and now based in Australia. She is the author of two bestselling novels, The Safe Place and The Shadow House, with a third Red River Road to be published in 2024. Anna lives on the NSW Central Coast just north of Sydney with her husband and two children. We've spoken to Anna before on the pod on author headshots and back in 2020 on motherhood, agent hunting and The Safe Place. This episode the Featured book is brought to you by UQP and we're delighted to be talking to Kirsty Jagger about her debut novel, Roseghetto.  Kirsty Jagger is a journalist by trade. In 2019, she won the inaugural Heyman Mentorship Award, established by acclaimed Australian author Kathryn Heyman for a writer from a background of social or economic disadvantage.  Roseghetto takes some inspiration from growing up in the housing commission estates of Sydney's western suburbs. Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

Kate speaks to Melbourne author Lucy Treloar about her writing life. Lucy Treloar was born in Malaysia and educated in England, Sweden and Melbourne. Her novel Salt Creek (2015) won the Dobbie Literary Award among others, and was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and the UK's Walter Scott Prize. Wolfe Island (2019), her second novel, won the Barbara Jefferis Award and was shortlisted for the Prime Minister's and NSW literary awards. She is a previous winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize (Pacific region).  Lucy's essays and short fiction have appeared in publications including The Saturday Paper, Meanjin, The Age, Overland, Best Australian Stories and Foundational Fictions in South Australian History.  A graduate of the University of Melbourne and RMIT, Lucy lives in inner Melbourne with her family. We've spoken to Lucy before on The First Time Podcast for Apollo Bay Word Fest's Warm Winter Words in 2020. Her third novel is Days of Innocence and Wonder, published by Pan Macmillan, October 2023. Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

It's been a big week for the pod! Welcome to new listeners :) In this episode's Featured Book segment, Kate speaks with Joanna Morrison about her debut novel The Ghost of Gracie Flynn. This segment is brought to you by  Fremantle Press. Joanna Morrison has a background in journalism and a PhD in Creative Writing. Her short fiction has appeared in Australian literary journals and anthologies. In 2020, The Ghost of Gracie Flynn was shortlisted for the City of Fremantle Hungerford Award and was published by Fremantle press in 2022. Joanna lives in borloo/Perth with her husband, two sons and miniature schnauzer. Links:  The First Time interview with Nardi Simpson The First Time interview with Tim Winton The First Time interview with Kevin Wilson The First Time episode interview with Natasha Lester) and newsletter  Two Judgey Girls podcast (even just for the vocal fry)  The Opposite of Success by Eleanor Elliott Thomas (check out this reel too)  Jimmy Sharman's Boxers by Steve McGrath  Kind of Sort of Maybe... But Probably Not by Imbi Neeme  Beckham (documentary)  Beyond the Door of No Return by David Diop  The House That Joy Built by Holly Ringland  Days of Innocence and Wonder by Lucy Treloar  Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

This episode is a Live recording of the First Time Publishing panel at the Write Around the Murray Festival on September 17, 2023. Kate speaks with writers Kathryn Heyman, Irma Gold and Tim Napper about their first and subsequent publication experiences and what they have learned along the way. Kathryn Heyman is the author of six novels including Storm and Grace and Captain Starlight's Apprentice which was serialised on BBC radio to an audience of two million and was published last year in a new edition. Her previous work has won the Wingate, Southern Arts and Arts Council of England Writing Awards in the UK and been nominated for awards including the Scottish Writer of the Year, the Orange Prize, the Edinburgh Fringe Critics Awards, the Kibble Prize and the West Australian Premier's Literary Awards.Alongside her publishing career, she was for several years a frequent dramatist for stage and for BBC radio.  Kathryn won the CAL Author Fellowship for her 2021 memoir Fury, which was one of the Guardian's 25 best books of the year. Fury was nominated for the international Folio Prize, shortlisted for the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, and is in development as a feature film.  Kathryn taught poetry and  writing for the University of Oxford and is now the director of the Australian Writers Mentoring Program. Irma Gold is a writer and full-time freelance book editor based in Naarm/Melbourne. Her debut novel, The Breaking, won the Writing NSW Varuna Fellowship and a Canberra Critics Circle Award, and was shortlisted for the ACT Notable Award for Fiction. Her short fiction has been widely published in literary journals, and her critically acclaimed collection of short stories is Two Steps Forward. She is also the author of five children's picture books – including Where the Heart Is and Seree's Story and is co-host of the writing podcast, Secrets from the Green Room with author Karen Viggers. T. R. Napper is a multi-award-winning speculative fiction author. His short fiction has appeared in annual 'Year's Best' anthologies, and he has been published in respected genre magazines in the US, the UK, Israel, Austria, Australia, Singapore, and Vietnam. Before turning to writing, T. R. Napper was a diplomat and aid worker, delivering humanitarian programs in Southeast Asia for a decade. During this period, he resided in the Old Quarter in Ha Noi for several years, the setting for his debut novel, 36 Streets. Napper earned his doctorate in creative writing for his thesis on Noir, Cyberpunk, and Asian Modernity. These days he has returned to his home country of Australia, where – in addition to writing –  he works as a Dungeon Master, running campaigns for young people with autism for a local charity. Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

This episode Katherine speakers to Sydney based author and podcaster Jessie Stephens. Jessie Stephens is an Executive Editor at Mamamia, Australia's largest independent women's media company. She co-hosts Mamamia's flagship podcast and winner of Australia's Best Podcast Series, Mamamia Out Loud. Jessie's debut book Heartsick based on three true stories was an international bestseller and her first novel Something Bad Is Going to Happen came out in September this year. Jessie and Katherine discuss: * Jessie's early writing life, including how Mia Freedman discovered her and sister Clare Stephen's work * How Jane Harper helped her get a US agent * Writing about (often bad) romantic relationships in your early twenties * An interview with Jessie on the podcast How to Be Happy hosted by Clare Stephens    * The career/life tension between ambition and content * How she writes down the things she wants to achieve and often they come true  * Jealousy - both as she experiences and when she is the subject of other's jealousy Jessie recommends Love and Virtue by Diana Reid and My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

Katherine shares the lowdown on torture museums and Kryal Castle fun and we respond to some great listener questions (as best we can!) Recommended reading and listening including: Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth Kick the Latch by Kathryn Scanlan Sidelines by Karen Viggers (released January 2024) That Rom Com Pod from writers Clare Fletcher and Karina May The Word Count from writers Fiona Taylor, Jo Dixon and Jacq Ellem Our Featured Book segment this episode is brought to you by Fremantle Press and I'm delighted to be speaking to debut novelist Chenée Marrapodi about her debut middle grade novel One Wrong Turn. Chenée Marrapodi is a children's author and journalist, based in Perth, Western Australia. Chenée has worked in the media industry for almost a decade and is currently a producer for Channel Nine News. She has also worked as a reporter for Channel Seven's Today Tonight, as well as in online news and radio. Chenée is also an experienced MC, and the host of the Writers off the Page podcast.   Lots of events coming up including: Kate will be in conversation with Amy Lovat Mistakes and Other Lovers, Nice Stack of Books Meeniyan. Sat Oct 14, bookings here. Kate will be touring in lutrawita/Tasmania and appearing at Fullers Bookshop, Hobart on Thursday 19th October and Petrarch's, Launceston on Friday 20 October. At the HNSA conference, Kate will appear on the Past, Present & Future: Bending Genres panel. In Sydney and online, Sunday 22nd October, 12.30pm, bookings here. Kate will host Holly Ringland for Readings talking her new book The House That Joy Built on Wed 25th October, 6pm, bookings here. And a Westside event in Yarraville, Tamara Oudyn interviews Kate on The Hummingbird Effect for the Sun Bookshop, Saturday 28th October 3pm, bookings here. Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

Kate & Katherine get excited about Katherine's upcoming trip to Kryall Castle, debrief on recent reads and Kate swoons over the amazing Stero Stories at Write around the Murray.    This episode the Featured Book is brought to you by Fremantle Press and we're talking to writer and journalist Molly Schmidt. Molly is from the coastal town of Albany, Western Australia. She is passionate about producing stories that are inclusive of all members of her community.    Her first novel Salt River Road was written as part of her PhD under Miles Franklin Award winner Kim Scott—who has also been on this show—and novelist Brett D'Arcy. As part of the writing process, Molly collaborated with Noongar Elders to produce a work that actively pursues reconciliation. She is a radio producer and journalist for the ABC, where her passion for storytelling is put to good use. Molly's writing advice: Let yourself dream and make connections along the way Molly's recommendation of a debut book: Old Boy by Georgia Tree.   Kate and Katherine mention: Wifedom by Anna Funder  Queenie in Seven Moves by Zanni Louise  Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey  The Modern by Anna Kate Blair Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood Why We Are Here by Briohny Doyle After the Forest by Kell Woods One Piece on Netflix  Events:  Kate hosts Anna Kate Blair discussing her debut novel The Modern at Beaumaris Library on Monday October 2nd, 6.30pm. Free but please book here. Katherine hosts Clare Fletcher at Robinsons Bookshop Glen Waverley on Friday 6th October - Bookings here Kate hosts Charlotte Wood discussing her new novel Stone Yard Devotional at Cinema Nova for Readings Books on Wednesday 11th October, 6.30pm. Bookings here. Kate joins an online panel on AI: Opportunities, Threats and Ethical Considerations for Authors with Tracey Spicer, Holden Sheppard and ASA CEO Olivia Lancaster. Thursday 26th October 7.30-9pm. Bookings here. Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

This is the episode to listen to if you're already read Kate Mildenhall's latest book, THE HUMMINGBIRD EFFECT OR if you don't mind knowing what happens before it happens. We discuss writing and plot choices, like was *a** **** always going to die and die in THAT way? Were the links between stories there from the beginning? WHy bogong moths? (and other great questions).   Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

This season we are returning to our first-time roots! We hear all the time from listeners who've gone from thinking about writing a book to starting to write a book to having their own debut author experience. One of the things that these new authors say is that they've gone back and listened to the episodes that cover off the various milestones. So this year we're going back too. We want to capture that first time again ourselves... We're going to being follow a first time author across the year, catching up multiple times along the way. Our very first Follow a First Timer is Megan Rogers, author of The Heart is a Star. In this, the SEVENTH episode of the series we catch up with Megan to talk about what marketing, publicity and events have been like for The Heart is a Star.  The 'Follow a First Timer Series' is brought to you by Harper Collins. Check out show notes on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

Kate and Katherine discuss how The Hummingbird Book tour came together and give tips for what to do/think about if you're an author wanting to do the same. They talk about the books they've reading and the podcast Kate's obsessed with (hint: it involves someone shitting* on the floor of a wedding) *Their word, not ours This episode the Featured Book is brought to you be Fremantle Press and we're very, very excited to be talking to Emma Young about her novel, The Disorganisation of Celia Stone. After five years in bookselling, Emma retrained as a journalist and has been reporting since 2011: first for community papers, then as a state wide digital journalist for WAtoday. Her work also regularly appears in sister publications the Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. Her debut novel, The Last Bookshop was shortlisted for the inaugural Fogarty Literary Award in 2019. Emma's writing advice: Don't edit as you go, your aim is to finish. Also -- don't give up.  Emma's debut book recommendation is The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers Sign up to Emma's newsletter here  Perth events:  September 21 Emma in conversation at Bull Creek Library. Bookings and details September 28 Emma in conversation at Open Book, Mosman Park. Bookings and details Kate and Katherine mention: The logistics of book tours. Kate mentions this post by US writer, Alicia Kennedy and this post on getting invited to writers festivals by Australian writer Anna Featherstone. Reading Love Match by Clare Fletcher Tom Lake by Ann Patchett Happy Millionth Birthday by RWR McDonald  The Big Year, A Tale of Man Nature and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik  Listening Kate LOVED the podcast Who S*** On The Floor at My Wedding and the story behind it Secrets From the Green Room, this episode with Chris Flynn  Watching Real Housewives of New York  Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

Kate and Katherine catch up on why they are in their sweats, ice baths, tour shenanigans, morning pages and their general chatter.  Our Featured Book in this episode is One Day We're All Going to Die by playwright and debut novelist Elise Esther Hearst. This segment is brought to you by HQ/Harper Collins.  Elise Esther Hearst is a Melbourne-based author and playwright. Elise trained in London at the Royal Court Theatre and her plays include Bright World, co-written with Andrea James (Theatreworks), The Mesh (Red Stitch) and The Sea Project (Griffin Theatre) which was shortlisted for the Griffin Award. In 2019–20, Elise was a resident writer at Melbourne Theatre Company and is currently working on a commission for Melbourne Theatre Company. In 2020 Elise's non-fiction story, ‘Naming Rights' was published in the 2020 edition of Antithesis Journal and she was a guest at the 2021 Jewish Book Week. Elise's debut novel, One Day We Are All Going To Die, is a fast-paced, sexy and darkly humorous story about a 27-year-old single Jewish woman in Melbourne who must learn to reconcile family and cultural expectations with her own desires. Kate and Katherine mention:  Kate chatted with Hannah Kent for an event at at Matilda Books in the Adelaide Hills and mentions her interview for the podcast An incredible Canberra Writers Festival event with Isy Oderberg (Hard to Bear), Dr Neela Janakiramanan (The Registrar) and Gabrielle Jackson (Pain and Prejudice) Kate chatted to Astrid Edwards about The Hummingbird Effect - you can listen now on The Garret Podcast Paul Dalgarno's A Country of Eternal Light Mirandi Riwoe's new novel Sunbirds talking about books with spoilers Katherine's enjoying doing morning pages (re-inspired by Natasha Lester's excellent newsletter Bijoux) Kate's loving her new up-sized note book with no lines (also an excellent pen) Reading One Song by AJ Betts Beatrix & Fred by Emily Spurr Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore (recommended by Jason at Imprints Booksellers in Adelaide) The Ferryman by Justin Cronin Listening Read This - new podcast from The Monthly with Michael Williams. Katherine loved eps with Helen Garner and Anne Funder & Kate loved the chat with Christos Tsiolkas Watching Kate and the fam are finally watching Ted Lasso and LOVING IT Katherine's loving Collin from Accounts On fun meet-cutes Kate re-recommends Sharon Horgan's Catastrophe and Bad Sisters Coming up Mark Smith is hosting Kate at Heads and Tales Bookshop on Sept 7 at Barwon Heads Kate will be at Port Fairy Literary Weekend Sept 8-10 and at Write Around the Murray Sept 15-17 Katherine will be chatting to Nick Bhasin for Eltham Bookshop on Sept 28 Katherine will be hosting the Melbourne launch of Clare Fletcher's Love Match at Robinsons Bookshop on Friday Oct 6

This is a conversation Kate has been dying to have for awhile now - keen for the lowdown on The Letdown and generally a massive fan of Alison Bell's work. Alison is the co-creator/co-writer/producer/director and star of the award winning ABC and Netflix co-production The Letdown. Together with her co-writer, Sarah Scheller, Alison won the 2016 AACTA Award for Best Television Screenplay.The Letdown also won the AACTA Award for Best Comedy Program for both seasons 1 + 2 (20017 + 2019). Alison's performance was recognised with the AACTA for Best Comedy Performer for her work in the second season of The Letdown, her fourth performance nomination. Other nominations include the 2019 AACTA Award for Best Direction in a Television Comedy or Drama for her TV directorial debut, (The Letdown). In 2021, Alison developed and led the writing team on the critically acclaimed Binge series, LOVE ME.. The show picked up 7 Logie nominations. She wrote and starred in an episode of Summer Love, an ABC anthology series, which aired in August 2022, and in the ABC drama, Significant Others, airing October 2022. She has worked as an assessor for Playwriting Australia, a script consultant on theatre productions and short films and has contributed pieces to Marie Claire and Vogue Australia. She's worked with production companies both here and in the US, including Sharon Horgan's Merman, the FX Network, Kapital Entertainment, EKO, Giant Dwarf, Wooden Horse, Endemol Shine and the ABC. Prior to making The Letdown Alison was best known for her dramatic work on the stage, for which she won multiple Helpmann and Greenroom Awards, as well as her starring role in the AACTA Award winning comedy Laid. She has guest starred in many Australian series and her US credits include the HBO's The Leftovers, No Activity for CBS All Access and the reboot of Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories on AppleTV+. Alison is currently appearing in the MTC production of What If If Only this August and September in a double bill. The conversation covers:  Alison's early love of stories and when she found drama having the mindset for an artistic career - (and a healthy acknowledgement for 'luck') the impact of having kids on an artistic career Alison's interview with Jemma Birrell on the excellent The Secret Life of Writers podcast where she talks about unfinished manuscripts and 'learning by doing' the 'mini bible' used to pitch for screen How and why The Letdown was such a success How Alison and co-writer Sarah Scheller mined their own and their friends' experiences of motherhood for The Letdown Becoming an 'accidental' show runner Writing for screen  Adapting books for screen and the disappointment when you 'miss the moment' On guilt - (as discussed with Ash Devenport in The Design Files) Not pushing yourself until 'you're broken' - 'it's okay to be a little bit rubbish at things' Working with Back to Back theatre Alison's advice: Truth. Truth is the most interesting thing. The human experience in its truest form. Alison's debut recommendation: Room for a Stranger - Melanie Cheng Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

This season we are returning to our first-time roots! We hear all the time from listeners who've gone from thinking about writing a book to starting to write a book to having their own debut author experience. One of the things that these new authors say is that they've gone back and listened to the episodes that cover off the various milestones. So this year we're going back too. We want to capture that first time again ourselves... We're going to being follow a first time author across the year, catching up multiple times along the way. Our very first Follow a First Timer is Megan Rogers, author of The Heart is a Star. In this, the SIXTH episode of the series we catch up with Megan three months after her book has come out. We talk highs, lows and the many in-betweens.  The 'Follow a First Timer Series' is brought to you by Harper Collins. Check out show notes on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

Cecilia Rabess previously worked as a data scientist at Google and as an associate at Goldman Sachs. Her nonfiction has been featured in McSweeneys, FiveThirtyEight, Fast Company and FlowingData, among other places. Everything's Fine is her debut novel. Katherine and Cecilia discuss:  Early writing life  Donald Trump is Destroying My Marriage - article in NY Magazine that inspired Everything's Fine   Writing an 'opposites attract' love story, when the opposites part is that people are on opposing sides of the political spectrum  Working to humanise Josh  Wringing out your prose, making it as clean as possible  How she went about getting an agent  Having your book be at the centre of a Tiktok controversy and her theories on why this happened  Writing infographs for McSweeneys Cecilia's writing advice: It doesn't have to be perfect, but you have to finish. No one has ever published an unpublished manuscript. Debut book recommendation: Shark Heart by Emily Habeck Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

This episode the Featured Book is brought to you by Text Publishing, and we are delighted to be talking to Loraine Peck about her novel, THE DOUBLE BIND. From magician's assistant to crime novelist, it's all about mastering the art of subterfuge for Loraine Peck, whose love of crime fiction propelled her to write the kind of book she loves to read.The Second Son, Loraine's debut, won the 2021 Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction from the Australian Crime Writers Association.It was shortlisted for two Davitt Awards by Sisters in Crime and for a Danger Award by BAD Crime Sydney. Her second novel, The Double Bind was released in April 2023. We also catch up with Kate, who is part way through The Hummingbird Effect book tour and talk events, launches, writing people and of course, pizza gate.  The hosts mention:  Yellowface by R.F Kuang Imbi Neeme's 'Best Launch Ever' sign The Barbie movie  Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

This episode was recorded as part of Willy Lit Fest 2023 and features Katherine talking with Pip Finkemeyer about her INCREDIBLE debut Sad Girl Novel. Pip Finkemeyer's fiction has been listed for the Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize, the Richell Prize for Emerging Writers, the Disquiet Literary Prize, and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She co-founded the Berlin-based zine Nothing To See Here, and completed a Masters in Publishing and Editing at RMIT. She lives in Naarm/Melbourne, and Sad Girl Novel is her first novel. Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us! 

Finally! We get to go behind the scenes and hear all about Kate Mildenhall's latest book, THE HUMMINGBIRD EFFECT. This episode focuses on writing process, voice and how Kate magically weaved the stories in this book together. Stay tuned and read the book in preparation for a future, spoiler-riddled deep dive, to be released in a few weeks' time. Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

This week, writer and one-time Agony Aunt for the podcast, Charlotte Wood, returns to talk about the creative collaboration involved in the new stage adaptation of her novel The Weekend. Also discussed, Charlotte's forthcoming novel Stone Yard Devotional and her advice to Kate on keeping calm during the book tour rollercoaster. Sydneysiders can see The Weekend at Belvoir St Theatre from August 5 to September 3. Tickets and information here. Our Featured Segment in this episode is brought to you by Hachette and Kate speaks to Wergaia and Wemba Wemba writer Susie Anderson about her debut poetry collection the body country. Susie Anderson's poetry and non-fiction writing about art, artists, memory, place and love has been published widely in print and online. In 2018, she was runner-up in the Overland Poetry Prize and awarded the Emerging Writer's Fellowship at State Library Victoria; in 2019, she was awarded a Writer's Victoria Neilma Sidney Grant and was a recipient of the Overland Writers Residency. In 2020, she edited the online journal, Tell Me Like You Mean It Volume 4, for Australian Poetry and Cordite Poetry Review. Anderson was the 2021 black&write fellowship winner.  She grew up in Horsham, Victoria and is currently based on Boon Wurrung land. Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

The ink is dry and Katherine shares her news about her brand new two book deal! Kate's back from Bali and feeling all the nerves and excitement with only a couple of weeks until her third novel THE HUMMINGBIRD EFFECT hits shelves. Waterslides, ru-ro book recommendations and creative writing emergencies - we go everywhere! This episode the featured book is brought to you by Text Publishing and we're talking to Robyn Dennison about her debut novel Blind Spot. Robyn Dennison's fiction has appeared in Australian literary journals, including as a runner-up for the Overland VU Short Story Prize. She is a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne, where she teaches creative writing. Blind Spot, her first novel, was shortlisted for the Text Prize.

In this special Feature Episode brought to you by Penguin Books Australia, we speak to four debut authors about their new books. Erin Riley is a writer and social worker who has spent most of the last decade working alongside marginalised populations in community aged care in and around Sydney. Erin brings a queer lived experience to their professional work and to their writing. They were a Penguin Random House Australia Write It fellow in 2021, and have been published in various publications including Kill Your Darlings and Bent Street. Erin lives in Sydney with their partner and Remy the dog. A Real Piece of Work is their debut book. Vidya Madabushi is an Indian writer living in Sydney. She has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Sydney, and her first novel, Bystanders, was published in India in 2015. Bystanders was shortlisted for the Tibor Jones South Asia Prize, and a previous version was longlisted for the Australian Vogel Award. In 2018, Vidya received the Writing NSW Grant for Fiction for the creation of this novel. The Days Toppled Over is her Australian debut. Annette Higgs is a writer living in Sydney, Australia. She was born and grew up in Tasmania, leaving on her 18th birthday to study literature and law at the Australian National University in Canberra. She has lived, worked and studied in Sydney, London and Italy, and holds a Doctor of Arts from the University of Sydney. A Pushcart nominee, her short work has appeared in literary journals and anthologies in Australia, the USA, the UK and India. Her novel On a Bright Hillside in Paradise won the 2022 Penguin Literary Prize. Nick Bhasin is a writer and editor based in Sydney, but originally from the US. His writing has appeared in a variety of publications, including the New York Times, the Guardian, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Age, Junkee and McSweeney's and he has occasionally appeared on ABC Melbourne radio as a cultural attaché. He won the US music game show Name That Tune and his satirical parenting blog ‘Daddy's Little Miracle' was selected to join the New York Times' parenting section's blogroll. Nick has worked as an editor for Junkee, 10 Daily, SBS, Foxtel Magazine and OK! Magazine. He has a tremendous speaking voice. I Look Forward to Hearing From You is his debut novel. Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

This episode we talk to pop culture, TV writer and Real Housewives guru, Brian Moylan. Brian Moylan is the New York Times best-selling author of The Housewives: The Real Story Behind the Real Housewives and has written about television and pop culture for the New York Times, The Guardian, Vice, NBC News, and a few outlets that are NSFW. Katherine and Brian discuss:  Early writing life, including what to be aware of when writing obituaries  Recapping Real Housewives episodes  What you're critiquing when you're critiquing reality TV  Engaging with criticism of your own work  His book The Housewives: The Real Story Behind the Real Housewives. Challenges writing a book when all your interviewees are told not to talk to you  Whether The Real Housewives is good for women (as suggested by Gloria Steinem) or bad for women (as suggested by Roxanne Gay)  Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). Don't forget you can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

Ling Ma is a writer hailing from Fujian, Utah and Kansas. She is the author of the novel Severance, which received the 2018 Kirkus Prize, the Whiting Award and the NYPL Young Lions Fiction Award and the 2022 short story collection Bliss Montage which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and The Story Prize. Ma's Stories and excerpts have appeared in the New Yorker, The Atlantic, Granta, Virginia Quarterly Review, Vice, and more. She has been, until recently as we discuss in the interview, an assistant professor of practice in the Arts at University of Chicago. Ling Ma was awarded a 2023 Windham Campbell prize for literature in the fiction category. She spoke to me from her home in Chicago where she lives with her family. The conversation covers: the feeling when a story seems to come from beyond you the genesis of Severance and the feeling of anger about 'work' working as a fact checker for Playboy magazine the space between realism and the absurd and how Ling plays here  wanting to be an archeologist and the idea of 'surfacing' a story (similar to George Saunders' 'dropped orb' that he discusses in our interview) how Ling guides workshopping processes in her creative writing classes putting boundaries around the 'public' side of being an author, including staying off social media how winning the Windham Campbell prize has changed Ling's life (a prize also won by one of our previous guests Helen Garner) Ling's advice: There are no creative writing emergencies. Ling's recommended debut book: the short story collection Skinship by Yoon Choi Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

This episode our featured book is brought to you by Hachette and we're very excited to talk to MARGARET MEYER about her debut novel THE WITCHING TIDE. Margaret Meyer was born in Canada, grew up in New Zealand and now lives in Norwich England. She worked in publishing and literature promotion before retraining in a second career as a mental health therapist. In 2020 she completed an MA in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. The Witching Tide is her first novel. Kate and Katherine discuss:  The Debut Crew 2023 reels on our insta. If you are a debut author for 2024, Lisa Kenway has done a call out for a Debut Crew 2024 so let her know if you are keen! The Melbourne launch for Kate's new novel The Hummingbird Effect is on Friday August 4th at Trades Hall. Bookings here and keep an eye out here for national and regional tour dates.  The story of the viral tweet on parents and reading from Poppy Gee. Kate's reading and loving Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield and Crudo by Olivia Laing and rewatching The Letdown and Love Me in advance of her upcoming interview with writer, producer and actor Alison Bell. Most Talkative by Andy Cohen (Audible version)  Elizabeth Gilbert's announcement delaying publication of The Snow Forest (Instagram)  Alone Australia  Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!

Oh we go so many places in this ep: starting new projects, Kryall Castle school holiday plans, The Little Mermaid, how to land an ending on a tv series, great books, and old school video stores. Our Featured Book this week is Untethered by debut novelist, Ayesha Inoon. This segment is brought to you by Harper Collins. Ayesha Inoon is a Sri Lankan-Australian writer with a unique cultural perspective, which she brings to her writing. Born in Colombo, she travelled widely and worked as a journalist in Sri Lanka before immigrating to Australia in 2013. Winner of the ASA/HQ Commercial Fiction Prize 2022, her debut novel, Untethered, is partly based on her experiences as an immigrant Muslim woman. Ayesha was a recipient of the inaugural 2019 Penguin Random House Write It Fellowship for an early draft of this novel. In 2020 she was selected for the Rosie Scott Writing Residency in NSW, and in September 2022 she was awarded a KSP fellowship by the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers' Centre in WA to work on her second novel. Ayesha lives in Canberra with her two children. Check out show notes for this episode on our website www.thefirsttimepodcast.com or get in touch via Twitter (@thefirsttimepod) or Instagram (@thefirsttimepod). You can support us and the making of Season Six via our Patreon page. Thanks for joining us!