We’ve all been to a pub. They’re places to meet friends, meet lovers, to celebrate, commiserate and even do weekly trivia. But do you REALLY know pubs? This is the question author Philip Howell poses and attempts to answer in his latest book, the aptly named Pub. Philip joins us to discuss the inspiration for this book, the pitching process, researching topics and his overwhelming love of one particular app!

00:00 Welcome
05:12 Writing tip: Night-time whiteboards
07:49 WIN!: The Butterfly Thief by Walter Marsh
10:09 Word of the week: ‘Vexillology’
12:10 Writer in residence: Philip Howell
12:55 Describing ‘Pub’ as a concept and book
14:00 History vs Geography in this book
15:33 Inspirations for writing this book
19:06 The pitching process
21:53 The structure of the book
23:30 Choosing what to leave out
28:05 Range of writing topics and side hustles
30:42 The social dynamics of pubs
32:52 Writing popular geography vs academic
34:49 Research methods and tools
36:53 The importance of readability in writing
37:21 Love of Scrivener
40:35 Repurposing cut content
42:41 Australian pubs?
43:20 On being an expert in ‘pubs’
45:40 Future projects
48:31 Philip’s writing tip
52:17 Final thoughts

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Collaborative writing is fairly rare in the world of publishing – and writing while working alongside each other in a bookshop cafe is even rarer! But that was exactly how friends and workmates Clayton Zane Comber and Conor McCammon went about co-authoring their new junior fiction illustrated adventure, The Marvellous Submarine. In this episode, they share their experience creating the story together, illustrating it and getting it published.

00:00 Welcome
05:32 Writing tip: Using paintings as a writing prompt
06:54 WIN!: The Verifiers by Jane Pek
09:27 Word of the week: ‘Blatherskite’
10:40 The world of words: ‘Thank you’
12:25 Writers in residence: Clayton Zane Comber and Conor McCammon
13:40 Describing The Marvellous Submarine
14:30 The inspiration for the project
17:33 Writing for a particular age group
19:59 How sharing the writing worked
24:53 The inconsistencies of bizarre worlds
25:49 Conor on illustrating the book
29:27 The defining moment of the project
31:49 Their publishing journey
35:30 The book promotion experience
39:53 Advice for aspiring authors
42:45 Upcoming projects
44:44 Final thoughts

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Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com

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Arrrr me hearties! That’s right, landlubbers – this week we walk the plank to delve into the intriguing real history of female pirates as Francesca de Tores discusses her new historical fiction novel, 'Saltblood.' Francesca goes into her meticulous research process, spanning everything from nautical details to the lives of real historical figures, plus shares a surprising ‘Comic Sans’ tip for writers!

00:00 Welcome
07:36 Writing tip: Social media for writers
11:15 WIN!: When We Were Monsters by Jennifer Niven
12:55 Word of the week: ‘Virga’
16:19 Writer in residence: Francesca de Tores
17:07 Francesca outlines ‘Saltblood’
18:20 What drew her to writing about female pirates
19:42 The public perception of pirates
21:55 Francesca’s pirate research for the book
25:21 Nautical research and influences
28:23 Transition to historical fiction
30:37 Publishing journey and challenges
33:45 Using a different pen name
36:32 Writing routine and tips
38:34 Upcoming projects and inspirations
41:37 Francesca shares her writing tips
44:38 Final thoughts

Read the show notes

Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook
Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.