Category: Behind the book

Dave Warner is best known for hard-edged crime fiction, but his latest novel, Sound Mind Dead Body, tips its hat to the Golden Age of mystery. In this interview, he talks Agatha Christie, Art Deco atmosphere, red herrings, and the race between reader and detective to solve the puzzle first. You mostly write police procedurals, […]

From Fremantle Press to Night Parrot Press, Linda Martin has been an advocate of West Australian writing and publishing for decades. In her upcoming release, A Tale of Two Publishing Houses, she shares her experiences with risk-taking, author–editor relationships and building an independent press from the ground up. What inspired you to research and write […]

In 1869, R.D. Blackmore wrote about romantic heroine Lorna Doone. Years later, Bernice Barry has reimagined the lives in the book in The Names of the Hare, delivering a historical fiction novel about a girl with a knowledge of herbs becoming a woman among the witch hunts. In this interview, Bernice tells us more about […]

Winner of the 2024 Hungerford Award, Trials of Hope (የተስፋ ፈተና)is a groundbreaking bilingual memoir that challenges how we think about belonging and language. Author Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes weaves together poetry and prose, Amharic and English, to create a deeply moving account of Ethiopian heritage and displacement. In this interview, Yirga discusses the craft behind […]

Brigid Lowry’s A Time of Living Graciously is a gentle, unflinching look at ageing, dying and what it means to live mindfully through it all – both a conversation starter and a source of comfort. Brigid shares her thoughts on writing through the heavy topics, and the importance of humour. Listen to a conversation between […]

During their postdoctoral fellowship at the UWA-Minderoo Deep-Sea Research Centre, author Prema Arasu explored the deep sea through the perspectives of scientists who each relate to it differently – be they oceanographer, geoscientist, taxonomist, marine biologist, geneticist or the creative writer–observer. In this interview, Prema dives deeper into the work, and puts the scientists who […]

Ask any writer about what inspires them and a life-long love of reading is most often mentioned. For Giles Watson, author of Eungedup: A wetland summer diary, the spark of nature writing came from the books of his childhood – from a worn copy of Watership Down to the radical poetry of Emily Dickinson. Here, […]

Edited by Casey Mulder and curated by Kim Scott, Rivers Flow: A Reflection on the Songs of Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter brings 23 First Nations writers together to honour the musical and cultural legacy of Archie Roach – a Gunditjmara, Kirrae Whurrong/Djab Wurrung and Bundjalung man – and Ruby Hunter – a Ngarrindjeri, Kokatha […]

Devastating earthquakes, floods and landslides … and now a killer on the loose. Franz Josef, a tiny South Island of New Zealand town, is the setting of Alan Carter’s latest crime novel and the third instalment of the Nick Chester series. Below, Alan chats to us about the making of this thrilling new novel. Why did […]

Assuming a new identity to enter the thrilling and dangerous illegal shadow network at Fremantle Port, undercover operative Paul Cutler returns in O’Keefe by David Whish-Wilson, David chatted to us about how he conducted his underworld research, his own similarities with Paul Cutler/O’Keefe and his feelings around incorporating violence into his novels. What kind of […]

Lawyer-turned-author Lisa Ellery returns to the world of crime with her new outback mystery, Hot Ground. This pacy new tale follows Detective Jessy Parkin as she investigates the disappearance of a gold prospector in Kalgoorlie. In this interview, Lisa tells us about why she chose Kalgoorlie as the setting, how she bonded with her main […]

In his latest non-fiction book The Shameful Isles, author David Price uncovers a dark chapter of Western Australian history. In this interview, David tells us about how he first learned about the events that took place on Bernier and Dorre Islands, and the research that went into creating this deeply moving account some of our […]

In Karen Herbert’s broody new crime novel, The Ghost Walk, protagonist and amateur sleuth Ruby Rose Gillespie lives with cystic fibrosis. As she sets out to solve the murder of her secret lover, she starts to wonder whether she really knew him at all. In this interview, Karen tells us more about writing a disabled […]

Shortlisted for the 2023 Fogarty Literary Award, Nock Loose is Patrick Marlborough’s screwball comedy revenge thriller, centred on a small Australian town that takes its annual medieval festival very seriously. In this interview, Patrick tells us how their novel – and chaotic characters – became into existence. Where did the idea of Agincourt come from? […]

Whether you are searching through handwritten scraps or rediscovering travel journals, compiling a collection of poems can be a difficult but inspiring activity. In this behind-the-scenes interview, poet and performer Andrew Sutherland takes us through how Act Cute, his latest poetry collection with Fremantle Press, came to life. Can you tell me about the notion […]

Love exists in many forms, and in her new collection of poetry, Love Like This Isn’t Harmless, Bron Bateman writes about the wide variety of love she’s experienced, from self-love to erotic to familial, and even harmful. In this article, publisher Georgia Richter asks Bron about her writing process and what goes into creating poetry […]

Fremantle Press is pleased to unveil our First Nations Classics series. Starting with Benang: From the Heart by Kim Scott, the Press has now added new editions of My Place by Sally Morgan and Kayang & Me by Kim Scott and Hazel Brown – all designed by First Nations artist Jenna Lee. Jenna Lee is […]

Jay Martin, the 2018 Hungerford Award winner, introduces her new novel, Boom Town Snap. Set among the Canadian oilfields and Australian mining towns, the story follows Georgie as she navigates tricky relationships and environments. In this interview, Jay tells us about some of the very real elements behind the fiction. Did the Me Too movement […]

Geraldine, much like her author Andrea Thompson, is heavily involved in the music scene. Immerse yourself in the music of the 20th century with this playlist, curated by Andrea. Listen for free on the Fremantle Press Spotify, and read below for more context around each song and where they fit into Geraldine. ‘Geraldine’ by Glasvegas […]

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 […]