Category: Behind the book

Andrew HC McDonald tells stories in many forms – through photos, comedy, visual arts, and now novel writing. In this interview, Andrew tells us how his debut fiction book, The Montegiallo School of Swearing, came to be, and how swearing in a foreign language may actually help you learn. Where did this idea come from, […]

After seventeen years of writing, Emily Paull’s The Distance Between Dreams was shortlisted in the 2023 Fogarty Literary Award. Emily is a Western Australian librarian, author and book reviewer. In this interview, Emily shares her behind-the-scenes process. Where did the idea for this novel and its structure come from? What were the most challenging aspects […]

To celebrate the release of Bigfoot vs Yeti, hear from author/illustrator James Foley on how he approached working in a different style for his new picture book. The seed of the book came in 2012-ish: I had an idea for a character, but I didn’t know how she came about or how her world looked. The […]

When author Andrea Thompson accidentally discovered that every other gender-diverse person on the planet was also writing a memoir, she switched her focus. She began writing for a central character who taught her the value and peace of the ordinary, and to never give up the fight. In this interview, Andrea introduces us to that […]

Poet Bron Bateman is the editor of Women of a Certain Courage, a new collection of inspiring stories by Australian women. In this interview, Bron gives us insight into her experience connecting with courageous women writers. How did you go about creating the list of women you wanted to contribute to this collection? Were there […]

Goldfields Girl by Elaine Forrestal is a historical novel for middle readers featuring real-life nineteenth-century teenager Clara Saunders. In this blog post, Elaine takes us into the exciting, dusty, fly-ridden world of a gold rush.

From the high country of Victoria to the desert sand of Egypt, from the waters off Gallipoli to the battlefields of France, The Last Light Horse is the extraordinary story of Sandy, the only returning warhorse. ‘The idea for this book was sparked over ten years ago when I was researching Light Horse Boy,’ says […]

Chenée’s love of words is rivalled only by her love of dance. Combining the two, Breaking Pointe is her second novel. In this video, author Chenée Marrapodi walks us through the latest instalment in the ballerina series. Teaching activities and teaching notes are also available.

Paul Kelly, Nick Cave and now… Kylie Minogue! In Spinning Around: The Kylie Playlist, edited by Angela Savage and Kirsten Krauth, 24 Australian authors write their take on a Kylie song, covering genres of crime, memoir, speculative fiction, poetry and science fiction. In this article, Angela and Kirsten share their experiences behind curating the latest […]

Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes is one of four writers shortlisted for the 2024 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award and in the running to win a $15,000 cash prize from the City of Fremantle, a publishing contract with Fremantle Press and a writing fellowship at the Centre for Stories. We asked Yirga to tell us more about […]

Jodie Tes is one of four writers shortlisted for the 2024 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award and in the running to win a $15,000 cash prize from the City of Fremantle, a publishing contract with Fremantle Press and a writing fellowship at the Centre for Stories. This is the second time the Hilton-based author has […]

Kathryn Lefroy might be a fantasy writer for children, but there’s nothing fantastical about her connection to Jane Austen’s Mr Darcy. Her great-great-great-great-great uncle was Jane Austen’s inspiration for Mr Darcy, one of world’s most lusted after characters – both on the page and on screen.  Given the iconic literary connection, teamed with the fact that she […]

Crime writer Alan Carter‘s latest release, Prize Catch, was inspired by living in close proximity to Tasmania’s controversial salmon farms. In this article, Alan dives deeper into how the landscape around him inspires his best-selling crime novels. How much does the place where you live inspire you when coming up with crime ideas? From the […]

Dave Warner‘s Broome detective Dan Clement is back in When It Rains, investigating crime as plentiful as wet season rain. In this article, Dave takes us behind the scenes of his award-winning crime writing procedure. What is it like to work with a protagonist over a number of books? Do you think about Clement between […]

Fiona Wilkes is one of four writers shortlisted for the 2024 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award and in the running to win a $15,000 cash prize from the City of Fremantle, a publishing contract with Fremantle Press and a writing fellowship at the Centre for Stories. Her desire to balance out the narrative around queer […]

Howard McKenzie-Murray is one of four writers shortlisted for the 2024 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award and in the running to win a $15,000 cash prize from the City of Fremantle, a publishing contract with Fremantle Press and a writing fellowship at the Centre for Stories. We asked Howard to tell us more about his […]

Sienna Rose Scully is the youngest of four children. She is an Integrated Marketing Communications graduate who grew up in Noongar Whadjuk Boodja (Fremantle), Western Australia. Sienna has dealt with OCD since childhood and is passionate about bringing awareness to what this disorder entails and to help other OCD sufferers. She is a contributor to […]

Launched this month, Karleah Olson’s A Wreck of Seabirds was shortlisted for the Fogarty Literary Award. It was described by the judges as a tightly written, atmospheric novel that captured the depths of human emotion. In this interview she tells us more about her journey to publication. Why did you choose a coastal setting for […]

Josh Kemp’s debut novel Banjawarn won the 2021 Dorothy Hewett Award and the 2022 Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction. In his new thriller, Jasper Cliff, which was shortlisted for the Fogarty Literary Award, he deliberately leaned in to the spookier side of Australian gothic, imbuing his narrative with disturbing insights into the […]

When Robert Edeson needs facts, he often makes them up. Edeson says, ‘In my view, that’s the sublime (and subversive) prerogative of a fiction writer. It is also strangely liberating after an obediently truthful life in science.’

Personal Logistics details the poet’s experiences and observations of life in Kununurra and the East Kimberley, as someone who has worked as a farmhand and as a stay-at-home dad. Coursing through the collection, in both the wet season and the dry, are the dual themes of naturally flowing water and hydroelectricity, without which Kununurra would […]

Mark Greenwood is a history hunter. He enjoys searching for lost explorers and glittering treasure, delving into baffling mysteries and investigating famous cold cases. In this piece, he shares his passion for the unexplained and how that resulted in a new series of books. Why these mysteries in particular? I’m hooked on mystery, history and […]

Holding a published copy of One Wrong Turn in my hands was a dream come true. I never entertained the idea of there being a sequel and the fact that it now exists is largely thanks to the enthusiasm of Australia’s dance community and of course, the wonderful team at Fremantle Press! Dance has been […]

As Australia’s last great unregulated waterway, the Martuwarra Fitzroy River represents potential untapped revenue for government, farmers and industry. It has both Western Australian Aboriginal Cultural and National Heritage listings – and is a venerated Living Ancestor who must be protected. Tossed Up By the Beak of a Cormorant: Poems of Martuwarra Fitzroy River is […]