Category: Behind the book

Vociferate | 詠 is Western Australian writer Emily Sun’s debut poetry collection. Alice Pung has described the book as ‘polemical, personal and political’ – in it, Emily meditates upon a range of issues that have shaped her world. Emily was born in British colonial Hong Kong to stateless diasporic-Chinese parents, who are descendants of Chinese […]

David Price says when we hold strong views about a subject, we often do not like to listen to contrary ones. He says, ‘In fact, we live in a time when we are able to exclusively access – mainly online – only the information and opinions that suit our own view of the world. In […]

Described as ‘thoughtful’, ‘delightfully subversive’ and ‘tenderly insightful’, The Little Boat on Trusting Lane by Mel Hall is a novel about how human connection, community and friendship have the potential to heal. In this piece, she describes how the Perth writing community helped her bring her debut novel into being.

One of the questions I get asked about my picture books is ‘Why are they about animals?’ The automatic response for me would be ‘Because I love animals’, but the truth is a little more complex.

Michael Burrows, author of Where the Line Breaks, sends a letter home from the muddy trenches of writing and editing a debut novel, in the style of the extraordinary letters sent home by the first Anzacs.

A Year of Loving Kindness and Other Essays by Brigid Lowry is a beautifully presented and uplifting book of contemplative, wry, sometimes funny essays about living thoughtfully and with care amid life’s challenges. In this article, Brigid shares her winding path to becoming the warm, wise and witty writer she is today.

Young-adult writer Mark Smith says Lines to the Horizon: Australian Surf Writing will appeal as much to non-surfers as surfers. Mark is one of six writers featured in Fremantle Press’s new collection of narrative non-fiction pieces, a book that covers thousands of kilometres of coastline and delves into the deep, reverential relationship many Australians have […]

Michael Burrows, author of Where the Line Breaks, sends a letter home from the muddy trenches of writing and editing a debut novel, in the style of the extraordinary letters sent home by the first Anzacs.

A few short weeks after the release of her first novel, Eye of a Rook, Josephine Taylor paused to reflect on her path to publication.

Susan Midalia is an author, freelance editor, mentor and workshop facilitator with a new novel, Everyday Madness, out this month. In this article she shares what she’s learned from her publication experiences. If you’re a writer yourself, make sure you read her tips at the end of the article.

In this article, Ruth de Vos takes you behind the scenes to share how the illustrations for her new picture book with Danny Parker, Shine, developed from idea to gorgeous finished artwork.

Hi, I’m Emma Young. My debut novel, The Last Bookshop, is about Cait Copper, owner of the last bookshop in the city centre and the last independent store remaining on the city’s most exclusive strip. Cait thought she’d reached happily ever after when she opened Book Fiend, but the city’s changing. Costs are rising, profits […]

Last year was a great year for Helen Milroy. Her work was shortlisted for the WA Premier’s Book Awards, the Readings Children’s Book Prize and the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards, while reviewers called her picture book Backyard Birds vibrant, bright, beautiful, wonderful, colourful and bold. In 2021 the First Nations author […]

Women of a Certain Rage is the book that happened when Liz Byrski asked 20 women to take up her challenge and write her a story about rage. The result is a book that Judith Lucy calls ‘compassionate, absorbing and thought-provoking’.

In 2019, I had the chance to travel to Eungella National Park in Queensland to see wild platypus. I wasn’t planning to write an adventure novel starring a monotreme … And I wasn’t planning to spend a day battling mud and swollen rivers and carnivorous worms, either. But somehow, both of those things happened and […]

It’s release month for the second book in Alan Carter’s award-winning Nick Chester series. We asked Alan to tell us more.

Joanna Morrison’s manuscript, Still Dark, is shortlisted for the 2020 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award. If she wins, she’ll secure herself a publishing contract with Fremantle Press and a $15,000 cash prize from the City of Fremantle.

Beautiful, bold Australian wildflowers are the heroes of Let’s Count Wildflowers by botanical pop artist Tracey Gibbs, AKA Lalleuca.

Sally Tinker is back with a new adventure in invention! The fourth book from the mind of James Foley in the S.Tinker Inc. graphic novel for junior readers series is out now.

In the first decade of the twentieth century, the Alice Mitchell murder trial gripped the city of Perth and the Australian nation. Stella Budrikis’s book, The Edward Street Baby Farm, retraces this infamous tragedy – a tragedy that ultimately led to legislative changes in order to better protect children’s welfare. In this interview, Fremantle Press […]

In this interview Rebecca talks about the histories behind the history and how these might be used to stimulate classroom discussions, research and writing activities.

I met a bloke last week who said his father died 20 years ago and he had never got over it. My father died in 2002 and I can still hear him telling me how to remove the ceiling fan in the bathroom. I’d done it a couple of times before and I was over […]

The importance of critical thinking has become a common discussion topic in the media in recent weeks. And teachers have long known critical thinking is the basis for progress in learning. In this article, writer, illustrator and former teacher Katie Stewart shows how to use her new picture book, What Colour is the Sea?, to […]

Kelly Canby’s new book, Littlelight, is already on the reprint list after COVID-19 led Fremantle Press to let our booksellers get the book earlier than its release date. In this e-interview, Kelly tells us more about the book and shares some recent news.