117 | Writing towards your greatest fear with Melanie Cheng, author of 'The Burrow'
Release Date: 06/11/2025
136 | Bonus ep! Raising reading rates, one book at a time
James and Ashley Stay at Home
While reading rates are falling in Australia and around the world, the good news is there are lots of great ways to make more time for the books in your life, encourage others to return to reading, and soak up all the great health benefits it gives you. In this bonus ep, James and Ashley discuss their love of reading and (Come along, it's free!) Check out Ruby's (aka Literary Luddite) . Join us for a live recording of James and Ashley Stay at Home as part of Randwick's Reading Takeover: Celebration of Reading Author Panel on Saturday 28 November, 10am-12pm at Randwick Town Hall....
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135 | From beloved bookseller to debut author with Josh Hortinela, author of Hate You to Love You
James and Ashley Stay at Home
Episode 135 features debut sensation Joshua Hortinela, a beloved fixture of the Australian book scene, discussing his first novel, Hate You to Love You. A joyful celebration of rom-coms on page and screen, with a soft spot for 90s classics, the story cleverly subverts the genre's familiar tropes and doubles as a love letter to Sydney's bookshops. As his character Carlos reflects, 'If my younger self had been able to find books that represented me … maybe I wouldn't have been so scared of love.' Josh shares whether writing came before or after bookselling, why honest queer...
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134 | ‘How did you see into my brain?' with author, publisher and podcaster Dani Vee
James and Ashley Stay at Home
Episode 134 features powerhouse author, publisher and podcaster Dani Vee discussing her latest picture book, My Spinning, Anxious Brain. For neurodivergent kids, this story draws on her own lived experience and mental health advocacy. Dani says, 'I wanted a book about ADHD that didn’t ignore the bad stuff and the hard stuff, but also celebrated this really unique brain.’ She shares her emotions when she learned her ADHD diagnosed as an adult, how her advocacy around anxiety and mental health started by accident, and her advice as both an author and a publisher. This...
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133 | Bonus ep! Have a listen to ... The Word Count podcast
James and Ashley Stay at Home
In ep 133, James and Ashley share an episode one of their favourite Australian writing podcasts – The Word Count with Jo Dixon, Fiona Taylor and Jacq Ellem. If you've not heard The Word Count before, this bonus episode will give you a taste of what it's all about. If you have, then you already know you're in for a treat. We'll be back in a fortnight with another author interview! The Word Count episode 59: It’s the news we’ve been bursting to share for months … Jo spills all the behind-the-scenes details of her HUGE FOUR-BOOK DEAL with Poisoned Pen Press! Jo shares: How the...
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132 | Being resilient when the feedback is tough with author Susannah Glenn and creativity coach Ginger Moran
James and Ashley Stay at Home
In episode 132, author Susannah Glenn joins us to discuss the creative process behind her second novel, Without a Trace, alongside her creativity coach and writing mentor, Ginger Moran. Ginger and Susannah discuss what goes into a relationship centred on both support and skill development, and the tough love and resilience required to make a story the best it can be. Susannah shares what initially led her to approach Susannah, when she transitioned to full-time writing while working on her first novel, and Ginger shares her approach to mentoring and the common challenges creatives...
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131 | Your body is a scam with Penguin Literary Prize winner Mary Colussi
James and Ashley Stay at Home
Mary Colussi says her debut novel Touch Grass, winner of the 2025 Penguin Literary Prize, is a ‘Noah’s ark of her weird interests.' Penguin Literary Prize judge Jack Harkin puts it a little differently: 'part warning, part screwball comedy - and a riot of brilliant, incisive writing about social media, body politics and the effects of worshiping false gods.' In episode 131, Mary shares with James how she went from writing Buzzfeed listicles to finishing the first draft of Touch Grass in under 90 days, and how she used her writing to ‘metabolise her anxieties about the future’. She...
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130 How to be a career author with JP Pomare, author of The Gambler
James and Ashley Stay at Home
Bestselling crime author JP Pomare joins us to discuss his latest novel The Gambler, and reflects on how his writing process has changed since his debut in 2018. He discusses his start as a sandwich artist, his impulse to write away from cliche, and his advice for aspiring authors. JP Pomare is an award-winning author whose debut novel, Call Me Evie, won the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel. In the Clearing was made into a Disney+ Original Series, The Clearing, while Tell Me Lies was shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel and the Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime...
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129 | Claudia Karvan joins Ashley & James at the Sydney launch of Like, Follow, Die, recorded live
James and Ashley Stay at Home
In March, Ashley launched her new thriller 'Like, Follow, Die.' In episode 129, hear a live recording of the very special Sydney launch event at Gleebooks, Glebe, where James interviewed Ashley and superstar actor and audiobook narrator Claudia Karvan. Claudia Karvan is one of Australia’s most respected and acclaimed film and television actors. She co-created, produced, and starred in the Stan series Bump, earning AACTA and Silver Logie nominations for her performance, and the 2026 AACTA Award for Best Narrative Comedy Series. Claudia also appeared in Disney+’s The Clearing. Earlier, she...
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128 | Invisible and insidious with Susan Francis, author of Revelation Beach
James and Ashley Stay at Home
In episode 128, author Susan Francis joins James and Ashley to share the insidious ways invisible illness and ageism have impacted her sense of self and forced her to reframe her thinking. At 65 years old, Susan lives with atrial fibrillation (AF), a type of arrhythmia that can lead to heart failure. She shares the challenges of this condition and her creative efforts to be a good (literary) friend despite the limitations of her health. Susan also discusses her shift from memoir to fiction, and how she crafted her debut historical novel, Revelation Beach, which explores East Timor...
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127 | ‘I don’t think I’ll ever write another book like that' with author and publisher Anita Heiss
James and Ashley Stay at Home
It’s been 30 years since award-winning author Anita Heiss made her debut on the Australian literary scene. She reveals the moment she finally felt she’d made it in the industry and why her powerful historical novel, Dirrayawadha, was one of the most challenging books of her career. Anita opens up about crafting a love story against the violence of the Bathurst War, and how she balances stories of trauma with scenes of profound love and joy. Plus, she shares about her forthcoming rom-com with a political heart, The Paradise Pact, and the insights she’s learned from her latest role as...
info_outlineAward-winning author Melanie Cheng joins James and Ashley to discuss her writing practice, her pet rabbit, and The Burrow, her 'most personal book' and its many parallels to her own life.
She also shares her experience of writing toward her greatest fear, coming to terms with her cyclical writing process, and how teaching narrative to medical students can help increase communication between doctors and patients.
Melanie Cheng is a writer and general practitioner. She was born in Adelaide, grew up in Hong Kong and now lives in Melbourne. Her debut collection of short stories, Australia Day, won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript in 2016 and the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Fiction in 2018. Room for a Stranger, her highly acclaimed first novel, was published in 2019. The Burrow was published in 2024, and has since been shortlisted for numerous major Australian prizes, including the Stella Prize, the Age Book of the Year and the Miles Franklin Award.
Read the Kill Your Darlings interview with Melanie discussed in this episode here.
Books & authors discussed in this episode:
- The Burrow by Franz Kafka
- Tender Is the Flesh by Augustina Batzerrica
- Helen Garner
- Maxine Beneba Clarke
- Tony Birch
- Alice Pung
- Hilton Koppe (from ep 70)
- The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler
- Sanchana Venkatesh (from ep 75) and #MyYearWithAnneTyler
- Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, translated by Oliver Ready
- Bat Eater (and other names for Cora Zheng) by Kylie Lee Baker, recommended by @EmilyEatsPages
- Laura McClusky
- Riley James
- Jacinta Dietrich
Upcoming events:
- Ashley is part of the Sisters in Crime – Death in a Cold Climate panel, Friday 27 June, 7-10pm, South Melbourne
- Ashley will be doing an in-conversation in Meeniyan with Jacinta Dietrich, Saturday 28 June, 6.30-7.30pm
- Ashley is speaking at Bendigo Library, Monday 30 June, 1-2pm
- Ashley is teaching a multi-day memoir masterclass as part of the Writers at the Woolshed Winter Writing Retreat in the Southern Highlands, 13-18 July
- Join Ashley and podcast fav Hayley Scrivenor for the Mystery and Mayhem Readers Retreat at the 5-star Tamborine Mountain Glades, 3-5 October
- James is launching Matt Rogers' highly anticipated debut thriller 'The Forsaken' at Harry Hartog Mosman, Wednesday July 9
Learn more about Ashley's thrillers, Dark Mode and Cold Truth, and get your copies from your local bookshop or your library. Plus check out Like, Follow, Die from Audible.
Get in touch!